Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Four Corners Region of the United States Cultures, Ruins and Landmarks

For Teachers K - 8th
Students who live in the inner city are introduced to the four corners region of the United States. In groups, they examine how the region differs compared to where they live and their culture. They develop maps of the area and locate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Character Education Podcasts

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study character traits. In this character education lesson, students create podcasts highlighting a particular character trait. Students broadcast one podcast per week.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Twentieth Century Entertainment: When Work is Done

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students determine how Americans enjoy leisure time. For this 20th century America lesson, students research primary sources to study how Americans gained leisure time during the century and what they did with it.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Traveler's Trunk

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students analyze and interpret artifacts from the 1920s and explore the Great Migration. In this 1920s history lesson, students review background information about the Great Migration and use artifacts to study history of Chicago....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time in a Teakettle

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students compare and contrast the development of teakettles. In this artifacts lesson, students divide into groups and examine different teakettles. Students complete an artifact analysis worksheet, draw a picture of their kettle and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Quilting Our Communities

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students share personal artifacts and use them to make a classroom community quilt.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Unearthing Ancient Greece

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars locate and analyze clues about ancient Greek life. In this ancient Greece lesson, students look at art, architecture, and artifacts to determine what was important to the Greeks and discover details about their culture....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Today We Encountered the White Man

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze and interpret artifacts and a timeline to get specific information.  In this timeline lesson plan students work in groups to research an Indian tribe and write an information piece of their research. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Public Displays of Contention

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider historic events or movements that may be viewed as controversial by different groups of people, and then create proposals supporting the inclusion of specific artifacts to be displayed in related museum exhibit
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Random Strategies in Archaeology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars critically evaluate cultures according to their artifacts. In this Random Strategies in Archaeology lesson, Students interpret evidence in order to better understand ancient societies. Young scholars watch films that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Everyone has Interesting Stuff

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine a random collection of artifacts. In this deductive reasoning and cultural awareness lesson, students will pair up and examine a given artifact. Each student will attempt to use the artifact's attributes and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students research evidence discovered during Mesa Verde archaeological dig, view images of ancient artifacts, simultate real dig and reconstruct items buried on school grounds, and create newsletter or video tape skit.
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Story Within Worksheet

For Students 6th - 8th
In this reading artifacts worksheet, students imagine they have arrived on earth from another galaxy and write a description of an object they have found. Function, form , and meaning of the object are revealed when students answer 6...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Photograph / Special Object Worksheet

For Students 6th - 9th
In this fieldwork application activity, students utilize a photo or object that they brought to class to study. Then they follow the directions on the activity and interview a classmate, using the 13 questions, about his or her photo or...
Organizer
Curated OER

Mapping Material Culture Worksheet

For Students 6th - 8th
In this folk regions worksheet, students study the objects by visiting the URL links, and then decide whether each of the 25 belongs in the North Louisiana, South Louisiana, or New Orleans folk regions.
Activity
Shell Education

Leaders from the 1790s

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The Founding Fathers contributed to the United States in many ways. Class members explore various Founding Fathers through research, group work, and realia. The final product of group work are posters and artistic representations of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History Did Happen in My Back Yard!

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. For this Louisiana history lesson, 8th graders research their parish history using the LOUISiana Digital Library resources. Students create multimedia...
Activity
Vermilionville

Mardi Gras—Secondary

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Add a little glitter to your Mardi Gras celebration with a packet that includes information about the history of Mardi Gras. It also provides information about how different communities celebrate the holiday, as well as templates for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Milestones of Flight

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Discover seven of the most historic aircraft and spacecraft in the collections of the National Air and Space Museum. By research into the major milestones of aviation history your students will recognize features that enable flight,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fun-Factory - NOT!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design a solution to a problem based on the Industrial Revolution. In this design lesson plan, students come up with architectural designs and present them to teachers in a simulated factory.
Lesson Plan
Ford's Theatre

How Perspective Shapes Understanding of History

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Boston Massacre may be an iconic event in American history, but perhaps the British soldiers had another point of view. Using primary sources, including reports from Boston newspapers and secondary sources from the British...
Lesson Plan
Maryland Department of Education

Our Children Can Soar

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a lesson plan on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella Fitzgerald....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating An Understanding of the Past/Through The Art of George Catlin and Native American Artifacts

For Teachers K - 6th
Students explore Native American culture. They observe and discuss the paintings of George Catlin. Students examine the lives of the Pawnee Native American Indians during the time period of 1830-1840. Numerous cross curriculum activities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forward March: Continuing Frederick Douglass' Footsteps

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students view numerous artifacts from the life of Frederick Douglass. Using the objects, they discover the many parts of his life and develop a hypothesis about the significance of the objects in his life. They identify the...